But in discussing Wilson Chandler’s game offensively, Nuggets coach George Karl brought up golf. “It kind of reminds me of Hale Irwin’s golf swing, basically 1-2,” Karl said, referring to Irwin’s backswing and swing. “Wilson’s going to go 1-2. If you cut him here, he’s going there. If you don’t cut him off, he’s going to the rim. … I think he’s explosive and he has the ability to change direction.”

Chandler has been an old-school treat to watch lately, stabbing his way into the lane then pulling up for some sort of soft floater, sometimes with his body contorted in midair. Chandler is, of course, filling in at small forward for Danilo Gallinari (who’s out for the season with a knee injury), and he has put up big numbers. Entering Friday, he was averaging 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in the past 21 games. He scored 21 and 29 points in the previous two games.

“He fits the NBA I remember, the 1980s,” Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt said of the 6-foot-8 Chandler. “What you see is what you get. He’s no-nonsense. His game is straight lines. He can play defense and offense. You’re not going to pick on Wilson on offense by not guarding him and you’re not going to pick on Wilson on defense by going at him.

“Wilson, you could put him anywhere. You could put him at small forward, power forward, a big shooting guard. You can bring him off the bench. You can start him.”

Now, right away, here’s what I will say: Chandler can’t replace Gallo. Chandler will put up big numbers, but they’re not the same player, Gallo being more dynamic in so many facets. And just because Gallo’s injury gives Chandler more minutes to prove he can start and star in some games, it doesn’t mean Denver is better off. Denver can replace some of Gallo’s production with Chandler, but it can’t replace Chandler’s production.

“He’s a terrific offensive player and presents a lot of the same problems (as Gallinari),” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “Really, with Gallinari out, it’s going to concentrate more touches for him, (Andre) Iguodala and some of their better players. Gallinari is a terrific player, but they’re built to absorb an injury. They have a lot of good players and they have strength in numbers. They’re going to be OK.”

Familiar face. Former Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera, 36, is the head coach of the Texas Legends in the NBA’s D-League. Najera had dinner with Karl on Thursday.

“It was fun spending time with a first-year coach,” said Karl, who got his start coaching the Great Falls (Mont.) Golden Nuggets in the Continental Basketball Association in 1980. “It’s the first time he’s ever tried it, talking about the difficulties of it, the nightmares of it, how he reacted to it. He had some really interested stories. It reminded me of some of my early years of coaching.”

Benjamin Hochman was a sports columnist for The Denver Post until August 2015 before leaving for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his hometown newspaper. Hochman previously worked for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for its Hurricane Katrina coverage. Hochman wrote the Katrina-themed book “Fourth and New Orleans,” published in 2007.

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